The Memphis Legacy Project is the gift of local filmmaker and photographer Willy Bearden. Mr. Bearden often uses the photographs in the Memphis Room for his projects, and he realized that researchers, filmmakers and artists of the future will need the same types of resources.

“Our goal is to capture Memphis as we know it today. These images won’t have any real value or meaning for many years. I have this vision of some young documentary producer finding these images in 2090, and being able to explain to his contemporaries who and what we were way back when.”

As the first installment of this gift, Mr. Bearden has donated over 1500 images of the Victorian Village era. We are in the process of adding these to the digital archive now. (Take a look.)

On May 13th at 5:30 pm, we will have a short program in the Memphis Room to accept Mr. Bearden’s donation of the second installment of photographs for the Legacy Project, which will feature approximately 5000 photos of Madison Ave., Summer Ave., North Parkway, East Parkway, South Parkway, Elvis Presley Blvd. and the Riverfront. He will also be giving us 300 images from the Memphis Portraits Project.

Please join us on the 13th to hear Mr. Bearden speak about the project or simply come to thank him for his many gifts.